Playing The Hostage
by Tanuki-Mara
Summary: It had started out like a normal day. Naruto went to the bank, and that was where 'normal' vanished. A criminal organisation, gunshots, and a hostage situation. ItaNaru
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter One

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* * *

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Whistling cheerfully, the short blond man literally had a skip in his step as he bounced along the road towards his destination; his bright blue eyes were dancing. He nodded cheerfully to those whose eyes he met, receiving a few nods in return. It didn't deter the man as he headed towards the large building, pushing open one of the glass doors, making sure to leave a couple of hand prints on it, just for fun.

The large building that greeted his eyes was a familiar sight. The marble staircase that led upstairs in the centre, the large framed windows that lined the building with their velvet curtains, the polished wood desks in the centre of the room and smooth counters that held the tellers to the right, it was all familiar to him. He came in every week to transfer money from his work account to his savings account. He could do it online, but computers pissed him off. He got confused by the words and ended up giving up. Then nothing got done. So he found it much easier simply go to the bank.

"Naruto!"

Naruto grinned as he looked up at the waving woman. He saw Sakura every week, and liked to chat to the pink haired woman. He had given up hitting on her long ago when he found out she was engaged. He nodded to her and she smiled sweetly, picking up the phone. She would call ahead to tell Genma he was there – Genma helped him every week.

Naruto stretched slightly before settling into one of the comfy couches that lined the side of the large room. He glanced over at the couch next to his and grinned at the older man hulked over his own lap. His long white hair fell over his shoulder as he scribbled furiously in a notebook.

"Perv!" Naruto shouted, startling the man. "Good to see you again!"

"Naruto," he grunted, nodding his head. "Here as always."

"Of course," Naruto said. "You getting money for the hag?"

The man, whose name was actually Jiraiya, nodded. He came in all the time to withdraw more money for his wife to go gambling. He earned more from his perverted books that sold worldwide in many languages.

Naruto's phone buzzed silently in his pocket and he jumped slightly. Rather than reaching into his pocket he brought his hand to his ear, answering the call on the hands-free set that covered his right ear. He knew that he shouldn't wear it – usually only absolute tossers and wankers wore them, walking around talking as though there was someone next to them, but Naruto wore it anyway – it was useful. His long spiky hair covered it anyway.

"Moshi moshi!" he answered cheerfully, using the old Japanese that had gone out of style decades ago. He had learnt it when he was young, and was still fluent in it. He loved it.

"_Hey, Naruto,_" it was his boss, Kurenai. "_We need you to come in earlier tomorrow._"

Naruto sighed before closing his eyes briefly. He had wanted to sleep in tomorrow, but work obviously had other plans for him.

"Sure thing," he mumbled. "See you bright and early."

"_Around eight would be nice,_" Kurenai said. "_See you then._"

"Bye," Naruto mumbled as he reached up to end the call. He looked around the room, his good mood gone. His eyes skittered over a couple, the woman heavily pregnant, talking with another teller, Ino. A blond woman and her redhead partner were talking to Iruka, one of the bankers, Temari, another banker, was obviously restraining herself from strangling her customer as she tried to help him, seated at one of the fancy desks.

"Hands in the air!" a loud voice cut through the quiet murmur. "Drop to the ground!"

Naruto's eyes widened as a loud bang sounded through the bank. It was a sound everyone recognized instinctively, heard through movies and TV shows.

Gunfire.

--

"Why the hell am I the woman, un?"

The redhead tugged the blond woman on his arm closer, smiling falsely at the brunette who passed him with his pregnant wife. His 'wife' smiled at them as well, batting her eyes flirtatiously.

"Because, Deidara," the redhead murmured, "you're more girly."

"Shut up, Sasori!" Deidara hissed. "Let's just get this over with, yeah?"

Sasori looked up to see a brown haired man walking towards him, a large scar across his nose and cheeks. He was smiling warmly, the type of person that drew others to him instantly.

But not Sasori.

"You must be Mr. Hiruko," Iruka greeted. "I'm Iruka, we spoke on the phone."

"Yes," Sasori nodded. "You understood my wife's and my concerns?"

"Of course," Iruka nodded as he led them towards the tellers. "We are a very secure bank. We have our safety deposit boxes protected by the usual key-and-account number system. You need both to activate one. Our computers are protected by the strongest system available, and we, naturally, have a silent alarm."

"How many?" Deidara asked, speaking up for the first time. "And where, un? What if someone comes in and points a gun at the one teller by the silent alarm, yeah?"

"We have more than one," Iruka reassured. "I'm unable to tell you where, obviously, for bank security." He indicated to where a pink haired woman was chatting to someone on the phone and then he indicated to another woman with two buns on the side of her head. "All this area, the bank, is protected well."

"Oh?" Sasori asked as Deidara wandered down towards the pinkette.

"Yes." Iruka nodded, as Deidara looked the woman over critically. "Is there a problem?"

Sasori strode up to the brown haired woman, reading her nametag that proclaimed her 'Tenten'.

"Yeah there is," he chuckled, "for you."

In one smooth, synchronized movement, Sasori and Deidara drew guns at the exact same time. They aimed them straight at the tellers as the glass doors burst open, four men striding in. The tallest pointed his gun at the ceiling, firing off a couple of shots as his clear voice rang out through the bank.

"Hands in the air! Drop to the ground!"

--

Naruto shuffled awkwardly, ignoring the elbow he received in the ribs, courtesy of Sakura. He hadn't sat cross-legged on the floor in years. He'd sat on the floor at his apartment many times, but never cross-legged.

The tall man was standing over them. They had grouped the hostages all together to one side of the room where the tall, bluish man was watching over them. He had a slightly frightening look about him, with his dark blue hair and light blue skin, obviously a full body tattoo. On each cheek were three gill tattoos, running up his cheekbones. He had already given the hostages a full flash of his sharp teeth.

That's what they were. Hostages.

Naruto's eyes swept over to where the blond 'woman' and her 'husband' were standing. The redhead was watching as the blond man tore off the dress, revealing non-descript black clothing. The redhead handed him a black cloak, covered in red clouds.

Oh yeah. They were all wearing those.

Naruto glanced to the left to where another heavily tattooed man stood. He was entirely black and white, his hair a light green. He was talking with a normal looking man who had simple black hair and dark eyes. He seemed to be cheerful.

Another two men had appeared out of the back of the bank earlier, entering with a man and woman. The first had slicked back silver hair and a mouth like a sailor, the second a weird headdress that left only his eyes bare. They had already left to attempt to open the safe.

The other two people… they had to be the leaders. One had orange hair, an incredible number of facial piercings, and odd striking eyes. An aura of authority and power surrounded him. The woman that accompanied him had stunningly blue hair with an intricate flower in it. The other two had vanished while the woman and man were standing over the managers of the bank – Iruka, Kotetsu, Izumo and Raido.

The last man was on his own, sitting against the wall where he could watch the hostages. He, unlike the others, was wearing a large straw hat. The others had them when they entered, but had long since removed them. The long white strips hanging from them covered most of his face, hiding him from view. He was twirling a knife idly while watching the hostages, his eyes barely visible.

Naruto was trying to remember as much about them as possible, knowing it would be helpful when the police arrived. He would need to give them as many details as possible.

"Phones!" the cheerful dark haired man shouted. "Come on! Cough 'em up!"

The hostages grumbled amongst themselves as they pulled out their mobiles, handing them over to the happy man. Naruto blinked down at his, still on silent, remembering his hands-free, still hidden by his hair. He handed his phone over, biting his lip as he twiddled with his hair. They didn't know. They didn't know that he had it. That was good.

The man lined their phones up on a table, looking them over and comparing the models. He continued his loud exploration until shouting filled the building. All heads turned towards the hallway where the noises seemed to come from, growing louder and louder.

"Fuck!" it was the silver-haired man. "We have a fucking problem, leader! He called the cops!"

The man was dragging another person along by a tight grip on a handful of hair. Naruto recognized the man grimacing in pain – it was Genma. He was tossed at the feet of the orange-haired man, the other man still swearing loudly.

"Rook," the man, 'leader' presumably, had an ice-cold voice, "calm down."

'Rook' fell silent. He glared down at Genma who smirked up at him before wincing as he advanced.

"Go back and join Bishop," Leader commanded. Bishop had to be the man with the headdress. "And hurry up."

Rook turned on his heel and stalked off, muttering to himself. Leader turned back to look down at Genma before looking over at the tall man.

"Demon shark," he growled, "check outside."

The tall man strode towards the doors immediately, eyebrows drawing down. Naruto watched him go, his brow furrowed.

What was with the weird names?

--

Once the building was completely locked down Iruka and the others were herded over by the blue woman. Naruto watched as Iruka sent him a shaky smile, settling next to Kotetsu. Naruto turned his gaze back to the two men standing closest to him: the black-and-white man and the overly happy man.

"But Reed!" he cried. "Who cares about the plants? We're not going to be here long…"

"It doesn't matter, Spot," Reed replied calmly. "I like plants and wish to care for them. They are in horrible condition."

"Leave him be," the redhead droned as he passed with the blond. "If he wants to waste his time then let him."

"Yeah, un!" the blond chimed. "Listen to Scorpion!"

"Shut up, Chocobo(1)," Scorpion said in his monotone voice. "Let's go. Small South will be annoyed if we don't do as she told us to."

Naruto frowned as he looked over to the blue woman. She was obviously Small South. Weird…

Small South crossed to Spot, looking the hostages over. Naruto followed her gaze, frowning as he saw the pregnant woman smiling at her worried husband, a hand pressed to her stomach. He looked back up at the criminals before shifting. Naruto was a natural people-person and he didn't like seeing people in pain or discomfort.

Small South turned to Spot, her blue eyes disinterested.

"You know what to do," she said. Spot nodded.

"Who do you think the 'leader' is?" he asked, as he looked them all over.

"Excuse me!" Naruto called, not having heard them. "Um, can we move the pregnant woman to a couch? She looks uncomfortable."

Small South looked him over before turning back to Spot with a shrug. "He is," she said simply. With that she turned and left, disappearing deeper into the bank and out of sight. Spot turned to look at Naruto, who squirmed under the scrutiny.

"Maybe," Spot said slowly. "Why should we care about her discomfort?"

"Because she's pregnant!" Naruto snapped. "She looks pretty far along as well! You can't seriously make her sit on the floor."

"Actually I can," he replied, "unless you convince me otherwise."

"Look, asshole," Naruto growled, getting fed up. "Just let her lay on a couch-"

"Why should I after you spoke like that to me?" Spot argued. "Just for that I should make her-"

"Spot."

Both he and Naruto stopped, looking over to where the voice was coming from. The man with the hat reached up to remove it, revealing long dark hair in a ponytail, pale skin and beautiful features. He looked up, straight at Spot, his voice ringing with authority.

"Drag one of those couches over," he ordered. Spot didn't even hesitate. He looked around before rushing to the nearest couch, a dark green in colour, and pulled it over to the hostages. They all made room until it was in the middle of them, Naruto hurrying over to the pregnant woman to assist her husband in helping her up. The brunet nodded his thanks to Naruto who smiled at him before helping her sit. The pale-eyed woman blushed prettily as she reclined on the sofa.

"Anything else, Weasel?" Spot asked the sitting man, obviously eager to please him. Weasel shook his head.

Naruto looked over to him and their eyes met. Dark, onyx orbs locked onto Naruto's sapphire and something jumped between them. If Demon Shark had pointed a gun to his head then, Naruto still wouldn't have been able to look away. He was captivated. He was drowning in black. He was being swallowed up by it, consumed by it.

The dark eyes blinked suddenly and Naruto was released from the spell. He looked down at the floor, his eyes wide and breath coming short.

'_Oh, that is _not_ good._'

**_TBC…_**

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And we have a new story! This one is honestly just to distract all my readers from The Cheshire Cat and Moving on. And, of course, to help spread the ItaNaru love.

(1) Okay, as you may know I tried to use 'code names' that were the meaning of the Akatsuki member's name, e.g. Sasori becomes Scorpion. However, Deidara's name has no real translation. The best I got was from here: http ://forums (dot) narutofan (dot) com/showthread (dot) php?t (equals) 86631

But without the spaces and all that obviously.

Also, some of the others may not be correct, but I tried to find the correct ones. Of course, the internet kept telling me that Deidara meant both 'bat' and 'mouth' so it was a bit hard to be sure which names were correct or not.

Also, concerning Tobi. Tobi doesn't have a translation, but Madara does. I like happy, bouncy Tobi too much, so happy bouncy Tobi will be using Madara's name. Don't like it? Well, it's my story – get over it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter Two

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Patting her husband's hand, the pregnant woman smiled down at Naruto as he shuffled closer. He offered them both a shaky smile as he avoided looking in the direction of 'Weasel'.

"Hi," he whispered, "my name's Naruto."

"Hey, dude," the husband replied, his voice just as soft. "I'm Kiba, and this is my wife, Hinata. Thanks so much, dude."

"No problem," Naruto shrugged as he eyed Hinata's bloated stomach. "Um, congratulations."

"Th-Thank you," Hinata whispered. She smiled again, but Naruto could see the fear in her eyes – the poor woman was petrified. Naruto quickly looked around, counting the other hostages. There were eleven others, making it fourteen in all. Sakura, Tenten, Temari and Ino were sitting to one side, huddled together for comfort. Jiraiya and Tsunade were sitting across from each other, playing cards with a deck Tsunade had in her pocket. Kotetsu and Izumo were on Kiba's other side, chatting quietly. Iruka was with Raido, both talking with Genma, most likely about how many cops would be sent.

"So, Hinata," Naruto said, turning back to look at her. "When are you due?"

A blush rose up in Hinata's cheeks and she looked away. Naruto looked at Kiba who stared down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Um, kinda soon," he mumbled. "As in, this month."

"What?" Naruto hissed. "Why is she out and about then?"

"Dude!" Kiba defended himself. "She's been cooped up for months! She can get damn scary!"

Hinata's blush darkened and she buried her face in her free hand. Naruto frowned, looking at her stomach then around at the criminals. He didn't know much about delivering babies – except that the babies looked disgusting when they first came out – but he did know that a bank was _not _the ideal place to have a baby. Not at all. Also, couldn't stress send Hinata into labour earlier?

"We have to get her out of here," Naruto whispered. Kiba nodded eagerly.

"I know," he said softly, "but they won't just give away a hostage!"

Naruto hesitated, his hand going up to twirl with the hair over his right ear. His phone was on silent, and even if the police contacted the criminals it would be better for them to have someone else inside the bank in contact with them…

"Hinata," Naruto said slowly, "if we get you out, can you do something for me?"

Hinata nodded immediately, leaning in closer. Naruto bit his lip before looking up at her.

"How's your memory?"

--

Itachi watched as Kisame jogged back over to the hostages, swearing loudly. The idiot never did well under pressure.

"Fuck!" he shouted. "There're cops outside – _lots _of them."

Madara echoed Kisame's curse before dashing off towards the office where Leader was. As soon as the hyper idiot was out of sight Itachi returned to watching the hostages – more specifically, the blond.

He let out a sigh of relief, echoed by his brunet friend.

"It'll all be over soon," he said, not as quiet as his whispered conversations earlier.

Kisame's head snapped straight to him, his dark eyes narrowing. "What makes you say that?" he growled, fondling his weapon. Itachi knew the habit – it meant he was nervous. The blond – Naruto, was it? – ignored the question, looking from the pregnant woman to Kisame again.

"Listen," he began, obviously not sure about how his suggestion to release the woman would be received – oh yes, Itachi knew. He could read lips. Quite useful, considering what else the crafty blond had planned. "You need to let Hinata here go."

"No," Kisame replied instantly, not even looking to see whom he was talking about. "No one leaves."

"She could be due at any moment!" Naruto argued as he shuffled up to his knees. "You gotta let her go!"

"I said no," Kisame snapped, taking the safety off his weapon, a movement unnoticed by Naruto. "Now shut up!"

"Look, do you know how to deliver a baby?" Naruto demanded. Kisame winced. Itachi knew he hated children, especially babies.

"Doesn't matter," he grumbled, hefting his gun. "Answer's still no."

Naruto was not to be deterred that easily. "But she's-"

"I said no!"

The shout was coupled with a shot fired, hitting the wall behind Naruto. The hostage went pale, shaking slightly. Kisame seemed surprised at his own action, even though Itachi wasn't. The police were making Kisame paranoid – all it would take is two, maybe three of the criminals to die and he would be a complete wreck.

Perfect.

"Demon Shark," Itachi interrupted, deciding to step in before Kisame got carried away and shot the attractive blond, "I'll deal with this."

Kisame stepped back immediately, his eyes sweeping over the other hostages. Itachi rose, almost smirking as he noticed Naruto had fallen silent, his eyes widening.

Itachi met his gaze squarely, his face emotionless and calm. "Follow me," he ordered, turning on his heel without waiting to see if Naruto was coming. This hostage – he might just be what Itachi was looking for. Now, all Itachi needed to do was make sure he got the right people released and Naruto in contact with the right people. He might just help…

Itachi entered the hall leading towards the offices, pleased to note that Naruto was indeed following him. Naruto had hurried to his side, his brows knitted together as his mind obviously worked.

"Don't draw attention to yourself," Itachi ordered as they turned a corner. "You might get killed."

"S'not my fault the idiot's trigger-happy," Naruto mumbled. He looked up at Itachi, his eyes hard. "And what's with the weird nicknames?"

Itachi ignored Naruto, inwardly smirking at how he was actually quite smart. He led the idiot to the office beside the safety deposit boxes they were using as a base. He knocked once before pushing open the door, knowing the next phase of his plan would go into action if Leader used his usual greeting.

"Itachi, what do you ne-"

Leader cut himself off as Naruto appeared. He brushed off the slip up, obviously thinking the hostage would never be able to put two and two together.

"Leader, this is Naruto," Itachi introduced him, enjoying Naruto's shocked look – he hadn't known Itachi knew his name. "Naruto would like to talk."

"About what?" Leader asked, his face indifferent. Beside him Konan was tapping away at the computer that kept the safety deposit boxes locked down. Itachi resisted the urge to sneer at her – amateur.

"Hi-Hinata," Naruto stuttered, obviously not liking the pierced man's cold demeanour. "She's pregnant, due this month. She needs to leave."

"No," Leader answered immediately, although Itachi could see his mind working. If he let the woman go she would report how many of them there were, and what they looked like. However, if he kept her she might go into labour, and that would be an all out disaster.

"You're not gonna lose a lot!" Naruto argued, gaining backbone through his indignation. "Just a pregnant woman and her husband!"

Ringed eyes met sapphire blue, both hard and unyielding. Itachi watched with interest as the fiery hostage held his own against Leader. Not many people could do that.

"The husband stays," Leader said shortly, turning back to look at his papers. "She can go."

Naruto frowned, shuffling uneasily. Itachi repressed his own frown. He had won his small victory, the woman was being released, why was he hesitating?

"Do you have any intent to harm the hostages?" Naruto asked, his frown deepening.

Leader looked up and met his eyes, a dark glint swirling in their depths. "No more than necessary," he replied, his voice cool. "Why?"

"I don't want that child growing up without a father," Naruto growled, his nails biting into his palms. Itachi raised an eyebrow. This Naruto just kept getting more and more interesting. Itachi would have to take a deeper look at him.

"If the husband is smart and doesn't cause trouble that won't happen," Leader replied, finally giving Naruto his full attention. Leader seemed to realize he wasn't someone who could be ignored easily.

"You wouldn't want hostages causing trouble, would you?" Naruto mused, his face becoming calm. "And if that man dies, well, there might be a whole _world _of trouble."

Leader kept his gaze locked on Naruto's for a moment, obviously wondering whether to ignore the barely concealed threat or remove Naruto completely before it could be put in to practise.

"Release the pregnant woman," Leader directed at Itachi with a flick of his fingers. He finally turned his gaze from Naruto and back to the papers on the desk. He picked up a sealed envelope, handing it to Itachi. "And make sure Demon Shark doesn't get too out of hand with the hostages."

Naruto smirked in victory before turning to leave. Itachi took the envelope, giving Leader a short, unseen nod before following. He led Naruto back to the main room where the hostage dashed straight to the pregnant woman. While they spoke in hushed tones Itachi crossed to where his laptop was sitting in its bag, looking up at Madara.

"Leader says to let the pregnant woman go," he said in a cool voice. He handed Madara the envelope and he took it, nodding his dark head in understanding.

"You got it, cousin!" he chirped. Itachi's eyes darkened.

"I told you not to call me that," he growled before stalking off, back to his Naruto- er, hostage watching spot. He paused on the way at the desk that held their phones, picking up the sleek model he knew belonged to Naruto. Working quickly, he flipped open the back, exposing the insides. His hands moved fast and in no time the phone was back on the desk, looking as though he'd never touched it.

That done, Itachi settled down to open his laptop. Once it was started up he immediately activated the small device he had just inserted into the phone before opening a web page.

Time to find out all he could about Naruto.

--

"It'll be okay, babe," Kiba soothed as he and Hinata shuffled closer to the doors. "You'll be fine. Just relax."

Hinata continued to whisper to herself, her pale eyes wide. Madara followed the pair, his gun trained on Hinata. He had told Kiba that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot her if they tried anything funny. Exactly what a pregnant woman and her concerned husband could try that would be considered 'funny' Naruto would never know.

Kiba brushed his lips lightly over Hinata's before smiling softly at her. She smiled shakily up at him before Madara grabbed his arm.

"Good luck!" Kiba whispered before he was wrenched away from his wife. Shaking slightly, Hinata shuffled closer to the doors. In one swift move Madara threw one open and shoved Hinata out, none too gently. As soon as she was clear of the door he slammed it shut, locking it again.

Across the room Naruto crossed his fingers, hoping Hinata remembered what he had told her.

--

"So, you understand the situation?" Kakashi asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Unknown number of hostages, unknown number of hostiles."

"Got it," Shikamaru yawned as he slumped against the inside of the van. "We know fuck all."

"That's one way of putting it," Sasuke drawled. He ran a hand through his spiked hair. "So what's the next move?"

"We wait," Kakashi sighed as he flopped back into his chair. Sometimes it was hard being on SWAT. "Hopefully they'll announce their demands soon."

"And then what?" Shikamaru asked. "We comply?"

Kakashi narrowed his one visible eye, his forehead crinkling and making the eye patch covering his other eye shift. The mask covering the bottom of his face was smooth, he was obviously frowning. "We have an unknown number of hostages in there, Shikamaru," he growled. "We have to comply until we know the stakes."

"The door's opening!"

Kakashi was out of the armoured van in an instant, Shikamaru and Sasuke right behind him. Sure enough the door was opening, someone emerging. A heavily pregnant woman stumbled out, her hands wrapped around her abdomen. Her purple hair swayed with her as she looked around with wide, terrified, white eyes.

"Hinata!"

The shout came from Kakashi's right. Hyuuga Neji stood there, eyes riveted on the woman before the bank. It was obvious he wished to aid her, but his police training kept him from leaving the barricade.

"You know her?" Kakashi asked. Neji nodded quickly, his eyes not leaving the pregnant woman.

"That's my cousin!" he replied. "She's pregnant!"

"Grab her!" Kakashi shouted over the radio in his hand. In an instant a man was there, pulling her aside. "Gently! She's pregnant for fucks sake!"

Hinata was brought over, trembling and whispering to herself. Once she was close enough Neji wrapped his arms around his cousin, rubbing her shoulders worriedly. An envelope was taped to the front of her top, which Shikamaru snatched up instantly.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Neji asked.

Hinata looked up with wide eyes and stuttered out a series of numbers. "Hinata?"

"Phone number!" she gasped, repeating it. "Please!"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi snapped, whirling to face him. "Ring that!"

In an instant Sasuke was in the van, grabbing a set of headphones. He punched the number into the computer and listened to it dial through the headphones.

After a single ring it was answered.

"He-Hello?"

--

Naruto jumped a foot in the air as he heard a gentle buzz from the table. His earpiece informed him of an incoming call from an unknown number. Naruto reached up slowly, trying to hide the movement, and answered it immediately.

"He-Hello?" he murmured as softly as he could.

"_Who is this?_" the dark voice growled. "_Who are you?_"

"Is Hinata okay?" he asked, cowering in between the back of the couch and Kiba. "Is she alright?"

"_You're a hostage?_" the voice was alert now. "_What's going on? How many are there? Who are you?_"

"Did Hinata get out alright?" Naruto hissed. "Tell me now!"

"_Yes,_" the voice growled, "s_he's fine._"

Naruto let out a soft sigh of relief, nodding reassuringly to the nervous Kiba. He straightened then, nodding slightly.

"Right, there are ten of them," he began. He heard scrambling on the other side – pen and paper maybe? "Only one female. She seems to be like, the deputy." Naruto continued to give the man a brief description of the criminals. Once the man was done scrawling them out he moved on to the hostages.

"And then there's me," he finished. "Name's Naruto, by the way."

"_Sasuke,_" was the grunted reply. "_Got it all, thanks. What are the criminal's names?_"

"Oh yeah," Naruto grumbled sarcastically. "They just toss those around so casually."

"_Dobe._"

"Bastard!"

"_It's a mystery to me how you got smart enough to get your number out,_" Sasuke grunted. "_Wait, won't they catch you on a phone?_"

"Hands free," Naruto mumbled as he kicked Kiba for hitting his leg, "hidden by my hair."

Kiba hit him again, glaring at him and jerking his head to the side. Naruto's eyes widened and he reached up to his ear.

"Someone's coming," Naruto whispered. "Don't hang up!"

"_I won't, usuratonkachi,_" Sasuke replied. Naruto looked up to see Weasel walking past, his dark eyes glancing up for a moment to meet Naruto's. Naruto blushed scarlet for a reason unknown even to him, before glancing at the ground. Weasel kept walking, not looking at anyone else.

"_**Itachi, what do you ne-"**_

'_Itachi…_' Naruto thought. '_His name must be Itachi…_'

Something clicked in Naruto's mind suddenly and he launched forward to grab Kiba's arm. Kiba whirled to look at him, eyes wide. He was still worried about his wife, despite Naruto's reassurances that she was safer than he was.

"I think I've got it!" he hissed. "Their weird names! I think I got it!"

"How?" Kiba asked, leaning closer to Naruto as Demon Shark passed.

"I know Ancient Japanese," Naruto whispered. "I'm fluent!"

"And?" Kiba asked, obviously unimpressed. "How does that help?"

"Their names!" Naruto insisted. "I heard the leader guy say one of them earlier – one of their _real _names. Look, let's start over there, with those two, the blond and redhead."

--

Sasuke gripped his pencil as Naruto whispered to his friend, Kiba, on the phone. Names. He might get names.

"Kakashi!" he shouted into the radio, covering the microphone with one hand. "I might get names!"

In an instant Kakashi was in the van. He stood over Sasuke's shoulder, hitting the speaker button. Naruto's voice filled the van, whispering and filled with certainty.

"…_the blond and redhead,_" Naruto whispered. "_Chocobo and Scorpion become Deidara and Sasori._"

Sasuke scribbled it down next to their descriptions.

"_Next, the black and white guy. Reed becomes Zetsu._"

Sasuke glanced up at Kakashi who was riveted on the speaker. Sasuke smirked, personally proud of Naruto for some reason.

"_Demon Shark is Kisame. Small South is Konan. Spot becomes Madara,_" Naruto was almost giggling with excitement. To Sasuke it was an adorable sound. "_And Rook and Bishop are Hidan and Kakazu. Leader is obvious not his real name… so I dunno about that one._"

"One more name," Sasuke mumbled. A chuckle sounded over the speakers.

"_Yeah, I forgot about you, bastard,_" Naruto laughed. Kakashi looked down at Sasuke with raised eyebrows.

"I see your people skills aren't improving," he noted. Another laugh sounded over the speaker.

"_Who's that?_" he asked. "_Is he like this all the time?_"

"Yes, yes he is," Kakashi answered. "What did he do to rub you the wrong way?"

As Kakashi and Naruto talked Sasuke glared down at the descriptions. He looked over the last one. Something was familiar about the description. Long dark hair in a ponytail, dark black eyes, pale skin… Che, add two deep wrinkles beneath the eyes and…

Sasuke's eyes widened and he gripped the table. It couldn't be… it _couldn't…_

"The last name, Naruto?" Kakashi asked with a chuckle. "Can you work that out?"

"_Of course,_" was the bright reply. "_That one was the easiest. Leader actually said it._"

Sasuke was on the verge of hyperventilating. It couldn't be him. Well, it could, but Sasuke was just hoping like hell it wasn't.

"_Weasel,_" Naruto's voice was quite happy. "_Weasel means Itachi!_"

* * *

Ok, people were asking for a list of the Akatsuki's names and meanings, I covered that in this chapter. I've mentioned Deidara's name before - the link is on the last chapter.

Oh! Who wants to have my eternal love? Go vote on the ItaNaru fanfic contests!! One of my stories is nominated!! Here's the link: http://www (dot) livejournal (dot) com (slash) poll (slash) ?id (equals) 1396677

I've also put the link on my profile!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter Three

* * *

Kakashi shifted in his seat as he read the demands of the 'Akatsuki'. They wanted a bus to take their hostages and them to the airport, where they wanted a plane to fly them to wherever they wanted to go from there. Kakashi sighed before reaching for the phone to ring the mayor, Sarutobi.

Next to him, Shikamaru leant back in his seat, his feet propped up on the table.

"What's my name mean?" he asked.

"_Well, Shika means deer,_" Naruto replied, his voice sounding through the headset. "_And 'maru' is just a common ending for male names._"

Shikamaru had taken the phone once Sasuke had flipped. He had almost broken the computer on hearing Itachi's name announced by the hostage. Well, he had good reason to; Itachi _did _kill his entire family. It caused Sasuke endless psychological issues.

"Interesting," Shikamaru mumbled, his eyes drooping. "Listen, you've been talking for a while, why don't you take a break?"

"_Oh thanks!_" Naruto sighed. "_I've been worried that they'll catch me; I'll put you on hold._"

* * *

Naruto relaxed against the back of the couch, his eyes closing. He wondered what happened to Sasuke – all he had heard was shouting and slamming, then Shikamaru was on.

"Naruto."

Naruto groaned. He would never get a moment to rest. His eyes flittered open. There was Itachi, staring down at him. Naruto sighed before holding a hand out to him. He didn't care if Itachi could shoot him; he just wanted to sit, and if he had to get up then Itachi was helping.

To Naruto's surprise Itachi took his hand in a larger one, pulling him to his feet. Naruto blinked in surprise as Itachi kept ahold of his hand, tugging him along.

"Are you gonna release more hostages?" he asked hopefully. Itachi looked down at him as he pulled him down a corridor, a different one than the one they went down to see Leader.

"Perhaps," he murmured. "I need your help with something." Itachi reached up to Naruto's ear, pulling off the hands-free device. "And it requires your cooperation."

Naruto stared up at him in horror. Was Itachi gonna kill him? Is that why he was leading him into a secluded corridor? Oh God, and Shikamaru was on hold! He would never know!

Itachi set the earpiece on a small table in the corridor. He looked Naruto over, the smallest smirk on his face.

"You see, this bank has many safety deposit boxes," Itachi murmured. "That alone will be worth millions, but billions of dollars will be coming from a certain account."

"And?" Naruto grumbled, leaning against the wall.

"I'm not interested in a ten-way split," Itachi growled. "I want it all."

"Oh," Naruto sneered, "and how are you gonna manage that?"

"That's where you come in," Itachi said, his scowl fading it into a smirk. "I'll not only need a hostage to the end in case something goes bad, but I also need someone in contact with the outside so I can manipulate the cops."

"And what's in it for me?" Naruto demanded. "You can't buy me out, how do I know you won't just turn on me in the end?"

"Because," Itachi sounded amused, at Naruto's determination to do the right thing. "I know you will."

"Why?" Naruto growled. "How do you know-"

"I'll see the others get set free."

Naruto stared up at him, eyes wide. The others free… Kiba with his family… Sakura and Ino no longer crying…

"What about the other criminals," Naruto whispered, his fists clenched by his sides. "What do you plan to do about them?"

"Leave them to me," Itachi replied, taking a step forward. "I will get rid of enough of them, with you helping under my direction."

Naruto glanced up at Itachi, staring into his dark eyes for any hint of a lie. When he saw none his chin came up, his eyes determined. "Alright then, you've got a deal."

Itachi nodded, expecting the answer the whole time. He moved even closer to Naruto, a hand coming up to cup Naruto's face. The hostage held perfectly still in shock.

"We have to have a reason for being so close," he murmured. Footsteps sounded down the hall and Itachi's head darted to the entrance of the hall. He swung back to face Naruto, his dark eyes filling Naruto's vision, and then Itachi's lips were pressed against his, his body crushing Naruto's into the wall.

At first Naruto struggled, trying to push Itachi off. Hands caught his own, pinning them at his sides as Itachi continued to devour him. Naruto's eyes slid shut as he realized it was useless to struggle. At the same time a tongue slid across his bottom lip before pushing against it. Naruto reacted naturally, opening his mouth and letting Itachi in. As the hot appendage explored his mouth eagerly dark chuckles reached his ear, obviously Hidan.

The footsteps faded, but Itachi stayed pressed against him. Naruto gave over to the heat flowing from the criminal to him, immersing himself in it completely. He wasn't quite sure when his hands broke free of the hold to tug on Itachi's hair, nor when he started to suck the tongue in his mouth further in, but it was around there that Itachi moved back.

"Wha-What…" Naruto panted heavily as he looked up at Itachi who was still pressed against him. "What was that for?"

"It's an excuse," Itachi murmured as he lowered his head to Naruto's shoulder, "for us to be closer together."

"Oh." Naruto breathed, leaning back against the wall heavily.

Itachi turned his head to the side, his lips grazing Naruto's neck and causing him to blush. "Also," the dark haired man murmured, "because I wanted to."

As a dark blush filled Naruto's face Itachi withdrew entirely. Naruto rubbed his arms as the warmth faded, missing it instantly. Itachi walked to the end of the corridor, looking back at Naruto.

Naruto met his gaze boldly. "I will hold you to your word, _Itachi_," he said, making sure to emphasise his name. Itachi froze for a moment before chuckling deeply and holding out a hand to Naruto. Naruto ran to take it instantly, allowing Itachi to pull him into the corridor.

"And I will hold you to yours, Fishcake."

* * *

Itachi stopped Naruto right before they re-entered the main room. He reached up to push aside his hair, sitting the hands-free device back on his ear. That done, he allowed his fingers to dance down Naruto's neck before he looked the hostage in the eye.

"I'll be listening," he informed him. Naruto's eyes widened before he nodded.

Itachi wandered off to his laptop while Naruto hurried back to the hostages. He would need to be more cryptic.

* * *

"What the – car? Do you see a freakin' car around here?"

Kiba glared at Naruto who ignored it. Seriously, when you play I-spy it was supposed to be with things you could see! There wasn't a car in the Goddamn bank!

"_Hn, dobe._"

Naruto jumped slightly, reaching up to twirl his hair.

"You back, teme?" he mumbled. "We lost you for a moment there."

"_Shut up,_" Sasuke growled. "_Anything new to report?_"

"Yeah," Naruto snorted, "Kiba sucks at I-Spy."

"_Dobe…_"

"No, not really," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you know how much longer we'll be here?"

"_My superior is in contact with the leader,_" Sasuke informed him. "_Other than that I don't know. Can you get any more hostages out?_"

"I'm working on it," Naruto said, looking around. Kisame was stomping past, growling.

"_Work harder!_"

"Oh, fuck you!"

"_You wish._"

"Damn it!" Kisame shouted. "I'm starving!"

Naruto looked up at the man before smirking. "Hey, teme, how many hostages do you think thirty pizzas are worth?"

* * *

Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Temari ran straight to the awaiting officers. Another handed Naruto half the pizza boxes, the other half going to Kiba. Kiba scuttled straight back inside but Naruto hesitated.

"_You the blond, dobe?_"

"Yep," Naruto said with a grin. "Hot, aren't I?" Naruto winked at the crowd before vanishing inside. He heard Sasuke chuckle over the earpiece.

"_Not bad,_" the cop muttered. "_I'd tap that._"

Naruto laughed as he handed the pizzas to Madara, who gave him a weird look. He kept a grip on one, planning to have his own little feast.

"Who knows," he murmured as Madara walked off. "Once I get out of here maybe that'll happen – depending on what you look like, bastard."

Sasuke chuckled over the earpiece and Naruto looked up. Itachi was staring straight at him, eyes unreadable. One thing was certain – his face was as cold as ever. Naruto crossed to sit with him, ignoring the looks from the other hostages. He sat beside Itachi on the floor, holding open the pizza box and offering the food inside to Itachi. Itachi eyed the box for a moment before taking a slice. Naruto did the same, setting the box on his lap.

"_How's the pizza, usuratonkachi?_" Sasuke asked.

Naruto thought for a moment. "Could be better," he mumbled. Sasuke chuckled. Naruto felt Itachi stiffen next to him and sighed. "Listen, we need some silence here, Sasuke."

"_Right,_" he replied instantly. "_Talk to you later._"

Naruto reached up and put Sasuke on hold. That done he looked up at Itachi, who was watching him.

"What?" he asked irritably, as he ate his pizza. Itachi didn't reply; he simply took another slice.

Once the pizza was down to the last slice Itachi took the box. He held it out to Naruto, his eyes blank. "Take it," he said.

Naruto looked at the piece before shaking his head. "No," he replied as he pushed the box towards Itachi. "You should have it."

"You're going to be stubborn on this, aren't you?" Itachi asked quietly. Naruto grinned at him, nodding. With a soft sigh Itachi took the piece, setting the box down. That done he ripped a bite of pizza off with his fingers, pushing it to Naruto's lips. Naruto's eyes widened and his lips parted automatically. Itachi pushed the food inside, smirking as Naruto accidentally licked his fingers. While Naruto chewed on the piece he ripped another piece off. Naruto saw this and reached over to take it. He pushed the piece to Itachi's lips, blushing scarlet. Itachi's smirk grew and he opened his mouth entirely, sucking Naruto's fingers inside. Naruto's blush increased and he pulled his fingers free, looking away.

Pretending to be involved with Itachi was very easy.

* * *

"Weasel." Naruto and Itachi both looked up to see Leader standing before them. His eyes were solely on Itachi. "It's time to work," he ordered. Itachi nodded and grabbed his laptop as Leader turned and left. Once he was gone Naruto laid a hand on Itachi's arm, stilling his movements instantly.

"What's going on?" he whispered. Itachi looked over at him.

"I'm handling the technological side of this," Itachi murmured. "I'll be transferring the money to a new account."

"Right," Naruto whispered, letting Itachi go. They both rose, Itachi preparing to go after Leader while Naruto was to rejoin the other hostages. Before he could take more than three steps however, a hand darted out to catch his. Naruto turned back to Itachi but couldn't speak as Itachi simply pulled him close, pressing their lips together.

In front of everyone.

Naruto pressed his body close to Itachi's, soaking in his warmth. Itachi's tongue briefly explored his mouth before withdrawing. Naruto let out a soft, unintentional whimper and then Itachi was gone, striding down to where Leader was. Naruto sighed softly before crossing to sit with Kiba again.

"What the hell was that about?" the brunet hissed. Around him the remaining hostages were listening in, eyes confused. "He's the enemy, in case you haven't forgotten!"

"Shut up!" Naruto growled. "I'm doing this for you! All of you! If I do this, he'll get you out unharmed."

The hostages drew back, some frowning in confusion others nodding in pity. Naruto huffed and brought his legs up to his chest, discreetly taking Sasuke off hold.

"_What happened_?" Sasuke asked instantly. Naruto shot Kiba a look, obviously warning him to stay quiet.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "They seem to be talking about the safety deposit boxes."

"_Right,_" Naruto heard rustling. "_I'll tell Kakashi._"

"Okay," Naruto whispered. He looked up as Madara and Zetsu left again, heading off to tend to the plants in Iruka's office. Apparently Zetsu loved plants and liked looking after them. That left only Kisame watching them – Deidara and Sasori had gone to help Konan.

Naruto sighed. There were too many of them. When the hell was Itachi gonna do something about them?

* * *

Yay, we have ItaNaru-ness!!! Sweet!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter Four

* * *

Itachi reappeared not long after. His dark eyes instantly locked onto Naruto's bright hair before trailing down to his stunning eyes. Naruto grinned over at him, the action completely natural. Itachi nodded before crossing to set his laptop down. That done, he headed straight to Naruto, stopping a metre away.

Itachi didn't need to say anything. In an instant Naruto was on his feet, heading over to Itachi eagerly, too eagerly in his own mind. Naruto shouldn't hurry after him like that. Itachi was the enemy after all.

Itachi took his hand and led him down a hall to the private offices. He chose one without preamble, closing the door firmly behind them. Naruto sunk onto the dark couch that sat to one side, and was quickly joined by Itachi.

"Are they listening?" Itachi asked, his eyes darting to Naruto's ear. Naruto nodded, eyes darting around. Sasuke was silent in his ear but Naruto could hear him breathing. "Good. In a couple of minutes Hidan and Kakazu will be on the roof. Hidan wants a smoke and Konan won't let him smoke inside. They'll be in range for a sniper but only if they aim from the sixtieth floor of the Santos Building."

Naruto nodded and Itachi simply stared at him. Realizing what he was waiting for Naruto jumped slightly before relaying the information to Sasuke via the earpiece.

"_How do you know that?_" Sasuke demanded. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Sasuke sure was demanding.

"Doesn't matter," he growled, "just get rid of them!"

"_We will,_" Sasuke promised. "_Thanks Naruto, you're doing good, I guess._"

"Gee, teme, thanks for the encouragement," Naruto grumbled and reached up to put him on hold, cutting off his response.

Naruto blinked up at Itachi who stared back at him impassively. Naruto couldn't stop a small smile from slipping onto his face though. "That's two down," he laughed, clapping lightly. Itachi nodded, his eyes devouring Naruto as the hostage clapped his hands happily.

Unable to resist any longer Itachi leaned in, pushing his lips lightly against Naruto's as his hand curled around the base of Naruto's neck, holding him still. Naruto didn't resist and Itachi took that as agreement, deepening the kiss. He lapped at Naruto's lower lip, hoping to hear a whimper like Naruto had released last time.

When no sound was made Itachi withdrew. Naruto's eyes were closed, his face flushed and his mouth slightly open as he panted lightly. Itachi had to restrain himself from leaning in to kiss him again.

"Why?" Naruto breathed, even as he leaned in to grip Itachi's top, pulling him back down. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to," Itachi murmured against his lips. Naruto let out a small whimper, much to Itachi's delight, right before his lips were seized. Naruto didn't simply sit there this time; he pushed back, trying to force Itachi to lie back against the couch. Itachi mentally chuckled at the attempt as he pushed Naruto down, aligning their bodies.

He was getting attached to the little hostage, and he didn't care one bit.

--

"Wanna smoke?"

Ibiki snorted and shook his head. Asuma shrugged, sticking one in his own mouth and lighting up. Ibiki calmly triple-checked his weapon before propping it up against the window seal. Asuma followed suit, peering through the scope of his weapon.

A second later two men appeared on the roof. They were in a small, secluded spot that was protected on all sides. The only way to get a clear shot was to be on the sixtieth floor of the Santos Building, like Asuma and Ibiki were.

One man was lighting up a cigarette, the other leaning against the wall beside them. Asuma calmly targeted the other smoker, a previously made agreement. He grunted slightly as he realized that they did indeed have a clear shot at the two.

"Inside man must be good," Asuma murmured.

Ibiki glanced over at him. "Do you have the shot?" he growled before looking back down his scope.

"Yeah."

"Then take it."

Two silent shots flew across the distance and both snipers smirked as two bodies dropped simultaneously.

--

"Holy mother fucking shit cakes!"

Konan sent Kisame a withering glare that the distressed man didn't see. He continued to pace back and forth, his eyes wide and rolling. Itachi almost smirked from across the room where he was leaning against the door. Deidara and Sasori ignored him, still digging through the records of the safety deposit boxes. It had been Hidan and Kakazu's job but… well…

"How did they die?" Leader asked Deidara. Deidara had been the one to find the two bodies when Konan had been annoyed at how long they were taking. Deidara looked up with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Sniper, I'm guessing," he grumbled. "Right through the head."

"They did their job," Leader said with a shrug. "If they were foolish enough to go out on the roof then it was their fault."

"But what if they kill more of us?" Kisame demanded. "What if _I'm _next? Oh God!"

"Shut up," Leader's voice was icy, "get back to the hostages."

Itachi left the room, Kisame grumbling behind him. He looked down the corridor and smirked when he saw Madara running along with an empty bucket, obviously headed for the bathroom.

Perfect.

--

They were back in that office by themselves once again.

"_Okay, there's a garden area adjacent to a bunch of offices_," Naruto's voice sounded over the speaker in the van. "_Zetsu and Madara go there to take care of the plants._"

"Why?" Sasuke asked with a frown. Kakashi laid a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a look that obviously said, 'Don't upset him.'

"_What do you mean 'Why?' bastard?_" Naruto snapped. "_They just do! They're weird! Look, just get rid of them!_"

"Alright, alright," Sasuke growled. He couldn't help but smile though; Naruto really was doing well for someone in his situation. "Thanks."

"_No problem. I'm gonna put you on hold._"

"Okay," Sasuke said, not really paying attention. He looked down at the list of names before him, ready to cross off Zetsu and Madara. They were slipping up. Soon Itachi would, and the bastard would be taken out, finally giving Sasuke the satisfaction of Itachi's death that he had craved for years.

Sasuke smirked as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and bringing forth the memory of Naruto standing in the sun outside the bank, practically sparkling in the light.

When this was all over Sasuke would definitely be satisfied – in more ways than one.

--

Naruto hit the hold button on the earpiece after telling Sasuke about Zetsu and Madara. He shuffled on the couch in the familiar office before turning back to Itachi, only to have lips meet his. Naruto let out a squeak and Itachi's tongue slid straight into his mouth. Naruto began to kiss back hesitantly before pulling away, much to Itachi's distaste.

"What about the others?" he breathed. Itachi leaned in to kiss him again quickly before answering.

"The last five are easy," he murmured as he kissed down Naruto's jaw. "The ANBU team will take them out when they come in."

As Itachi began to suck on his neck Naruto reached up to grab his hair, clutching the silky strands. "Ngh… how will they –ah!- get in?" he breathed. Itachi chuckled, soothing the new mark with a couple of swipes of his tongue.

"They'll come in the front door," he whispered. "After the hostages leave."

"Oh." Naruto's eyes slid shut as Itachi sucked on his pulse point. "How will _we _get out?"

"Don't worry," Itachi murmured as he pushed Naruto down on the couch. "I've got it planned."

"But Itachi-" Naruto's question was cut off as Itachi caught his lips again, invading his mouth instantly. Naruto's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as he responded enthusiastically. Itachi stretched his body over Naruto's as his hands slid up the hostage's top, running over the heated skin in delight. Naruto let out a shuddering gasp against his lips, breaking the kiss. Itachi ran his hands lower as his lips returned to marking Naruto's neck eagerly, his fingers rubbing the growing bulge in Naruto's pants. Naruto let out a long, low moan, his eyes closing as Itachi's magic fingers worked him through his pants. Itachi's other hand came up to unbutton Naruto's jeans, pulling them down. Naruto had enough sense to lift his hips, allowing Itachi to pull the garment off.

Itachi smirked as he bit Naruto's neck, causing him to yelp. He sucked on the spot as his hands began to slowly tug down Naruto's boxers.

"No wait," Naruto breathed. "Ah – shit, wait!"

Itachi ignored him, pulling the boxers off completely. He wasn't going to stop, not now. Naruto was so addictive, so beautiful, and so delicious. And he was sprawled out in front of Itachi, eyes hooded and lips swollen, waiting to be devoured. Itachi wouldn't devour him entirely, no matter how much he wanted to, because he had to remind himself that they were parting at the end of this. If he took Naruto fully his Uchiha possessiveness would kick in, and he wouldn't want to let the little idiot go.

Itachi drew himself away from those thoughts, choosing instead to run his hand along the firm erection that was waiting for him. Naruto let out a loud yelp as he grabbed Itachi's shoulders. Loving the reaction, Itachi slid himself down to face Naruto's cock, wondering what other sounds he would make, given the right motivation.

Naruto let out a shriek as he felt a tongue lapping at his hard shaft. He looked down through hazy eyes to see Itachi's dark head bent over his cock in concentration. The tongue continued to taste him before a soft kiss was place to the head. Naruto let out another moan and felt Itachi smirk. Then lips were sliding down over him.

Naruto groaned lowly as Itachi took him in. The heat wrapping around him made him want to buck, but at the same time he didn't want to hurt Itachi. Itachi made it easier for him by reaching up to hold his hip as he began to suck.

Naruto's hand came up to press against his mouth as he repressed a cry of pleasure. If felt so good, he could barely think. Itachi was doing something with his tongue that made Naruto twist in the grip while at the same time a hand was fondling his balls, adding to the pleasure. Naruto bit his hand as Itachi hummed around him, absentmindedly wondering where Itachi's other hand went.

The question was answered as a finger slowly pushed itself inside of him. Naruto's eyes bulged as the long thin digit wriggled its way inside of him, tickling his insides. A sob tore from Naruto's throat, repressed by his hand, but still audible. Itachi smirked before releasing Naruto with a slight 'pop'.

Naruto panted heavily as the finger continued to move inside of him. He quickly reached down to grab Itachi's hand, pulling it free. Itachi looked up at him, puzzled, but Naruto simply slid out from under him.

"Sit down," he breathed, still slightly breathless. Itachi obeyed curiously, sitting down on the couch. Naruto slid to the ground in between his legs, looking up at him pointedly.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly before he quickly undid his pants. His black and red cloak had long been abandoned, lying to the side. Naruto leant in, reaching into the pants to pull out Itachi's rock-hard member. Naruto ran his hand up the huge shaft before leaning in to kiss it softly. He held it with both hands as he slid his lips over the top. Itachi let out a low groan, his arms sliding along the back of the couch as he watched Naruto suck him off.

Naruto sucked in as much of Itachi's cock as possible, grabbing the bottom with his hand. He sucked eagerly, pumping what he couldn't fit into his mouth. Every groan Itachi released spurred him on, making him harder. Soon Naruto needed his own sort of release, but rather than jerking off he reached back, sliding one of his own fingers inside of himself.

He winced slightly and moaned lowly around Itachi, causing the criminal to open his eyes. Once he saw where Naruto's other hand was he leant completely over Naruto, reaching down to push his own finger in. Naruto let out a surprised squeak but kept sucking and fingering himself. Itachi moved his finger with Naruto's, searching for his prostate.

He struck it suddenly, causing Naruto to gasp. Smirking, Itachi stroked it relentlessly, causing Naruto to thrash on his hand. Somehow having his finger up Naruto's ass made him even harder, and pushed him closer to the edge. He knew he was going to come soon, but he wanted Naruto to come first. He struck the younger man's prostate continuously, waiting for Naruto to tense around him.

With a low groan Naruto came, exploding all over the couch and floor before him as he sucked Itachi in deeper. Itachi's hand retreated from his body only to grip his hair tightly as the man began to slowly thrust inside his mouth. Naruto didn't mind, he bobbed his head in rhythm until Itachi's breath caught. He exploded inside Naruto's mouth, his hand tightening in Naruto's hair. Naruto had no choice but to swallow everything, not that he was really complaining. Once Itachi had ridden out his orgasm he released Naruto's hair and the hostage released his now flaccid cock.

Naruto remained on his knees for a moment, licking away any residual seed on Itachi before he looked up. Itachi grabbed his arms, hoisting him to his feet and pulling him close. His lips were on Naruto's in a moment while the other man straddled his lap, leaning into the warm embrace Itachi offered.

Itachi broke the kiss and pulled Naruto closer, holding him against his chest. He rested his cheek against Naruto's golden head with a sigh, closing his eyes. He was completely content to just sit there, and it seemed Naruto was too.

Something had just happened between them, something more than oral sex. Itachi pulled Naruto closer to him, eyes still shut. He had never felt so at peace and he knew why he did.

Naruto.

Itachi's eyes opened, filled with determination and purpose. He had entered this bank with the intention of leaving with billions of dollars in a secure account, some more psychological damage for his brother and a clean getaway.

Why not add a hot blond to the list?

* * *

Ahhhh... I love this story! It's a record! Attention people! Finally, a story I haven't gotten sick of!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter Five

* * *

Anko spat out the stick that once held her dumplings as she looked down into the small garden area. Her companion reached over and picked it up, frowning in disapproval.

"Anko!" he whispered, "you know you should not litter! It is un-youthful!"

"Shut up, Gai," Anko said distractedly as she hefted her weapon. "Here they come."

A man that was half black and half white came out into the garden. He had to be Zetsu – Anko's target. A cheerful man was bouncing along beside him. Gai's target: Madara.

"Ready?" Anko whispered, almost silent. Gai nodded, looking through his scope.

Anko smirked, looking down at her own target. Once she was ready she nodded.

The two bodies dropped, but not before splattering the plants with crimson blood.

* * *

"Shit! Fuck! Fucking shit!"

Even Leader's glare wasn't going to shut Kisame up this time. He was practically pulling his hair out as he rocked back and forth on his chair. Leader was still seated at 'his' desk while Konan stood beside him. Deidara and Sasori were sorting through the security deposit boxes, figuring out what was worth keeping. They were only taking things that were excessively valuable, and had given the others free run of the leftovers.

Itachi had only slipped in to snatch up a huge, startling, sapphire ring, almost the same colour as Naruto's eyes. He had no idea why he took it, but he knew it wasn't for him. It was foolish to think he could give it to Naruto, but if they parted at the end of all this, maybe Naruto could have something to remember Itachi by – then again, the police would just confiscate it.

"They were careless," Leader droned with a flick of his fingers. "They deserved to die."

"What if I'm next?" Kisame whispered as his eyes darted around. "What if they kill me? AHH!"

"Shut up, un!" Deidara shouted. "Who's watching the hostages, yeah?"

Leader froze, looking over at both Kisame and Itachi. Kisame swore, dashing from the room as Leader turned his glare onto Itachi.

"I hear that you've become involved with one of the hostages," he said. Itachi shrugged, his own sort of 'yes' response. "Why?"

"He's hot and willing," Itachi replied, his eyes daring Leader to take it further. "Why not?"

"As long as he doesn't get in the way," Leader said, turning back to the papers before him.

Itachi's nod went unseen. "I'll keep him busy."

* * *

"_Hello?_"

"It's me."

"_Of course, what time?_"

"Three hours – I'll have a passenger."

"_Fine, see you then._"

A smirk danced on the dark-haired man's face as he hung up the phone.

* * *

Naruto sighed in contentment as Itachi stroked his hair softly. He was lying with his head in Itachi's lap; the older man ran his hands through it soothingly. He knew the other hostages were staring at him, but he didn't care. He didn't care what any of them thought, he realized. He just felt so comfortable lying there with Itachi.

Kisame was stalking back and forth in front of the hostages, still incredibly freaked out. Itachi had merely pointed out that if an ANBU team _did _get in, Sasori, Deidara, Konan, and Leader were down at the other end of the building, he was sitting on the floor – probably looking like a hostage – and Kisame was standing tall with a large gun, and suddenly Kisame had lost what small amount of 'calm' he had.

Perfect.

"Demon Shark," Itachi said, gaining the blue man's attention immediately, "calm down."

"Calm down?" Kisame repeated. "_Calm down_? You've got to be kidding! We're gonna die! We'll get arrested! How can you be so calm?"

"Demon Shark!" Itachi's voice was harsh. "Go splash some water onto your face. Then go see if there's any scotch in the safety deposit boxes. You need a drink."

Naruto sat up, his eyes wide and he subtly reached up to take Sasuke off hold. This had to be it. Kisame nodded gratefully before running off down the hall. Itachi watched him go, eyes unreadable.

"_Dobe?_" Sasuke's voice was low. "_What's happening?_"

"Shh," Naruto hushed. "Not sure…"

As soon as the footsteps faded Itachi looked down at Naruto. Their eyes met and Itachi nodded, rising gracefully and pulling Naruto to his feet. "This is it," he murmured before pressing a key into Naruto's hands. Naruto knew what it was for – it was for the lock on the chains that held the doors closed, looped through all the handles.

"This is it!" Naruto shouted. The hostages stared at him for a moment before he was running to the doors. "Sasuke! Hostages coming out!"

Getting the idea the hostages were all on their feet in an instant, following Naruto eagerly. Naruto skidded to a halt in front of the doors, ignoring Sasuke's chattering in his ear, and unlocked the chain. Pulling it free he threw the doors open before running to the next ones and throwing them open. The hostages poured out of the doors, Naruto stood at the open door and watched as they rushed straight into the arms of the waiting police.

Naruto stared at the rows of shouting police, seeing that the ANBU couldn't enter until he was out. He spotted Hinata and Kiba locked in an embrace, the woman was crying as she buried her face in her husband's shoulder. Tsunade was being wrapped up in a blanket as she clutched Jiraiya's hand, although Naruto knew she would never admit it.

"_Naruto! Where are you?_" Sasuke shouted in his ear. "_Naruto! Naruto!_"

Naruto felt numb as he watched them all. This was his chance; he could simply leave the building, run to the police and Sasuke, leaving Itachi behind.

"Naruto."

Naruto turned, looking over his shoulder to where Itachi stood. The man was staring at him impassively. He knew he had no say in what Naruto's next decision was, but every fibre of his being cried for him to rush across the room and grab Naruto, hold him close and never let him go, but he couldn't. If Naruto gave himself to Itachi freely he would take him, smother him and possess him, and Naruto would be able to do nothing about it. However, until that happened…

Itachi calmly met Naruto's eyes, not trying to force his decision, but simply giving him the choice.

"_Naruto!_" Itachi could hear his brother screaming over his own earpiece. "_Naruto, where are you? Where's Itachi!"_

"Sasuke," Itachi's breath caught as Naruto spoke, reaching up for his headset. "I'm sorry."

And then the headset was skidding across the ground, landing at Itachi's feet. He stared down at it in wonder, but his head shot back up as he heard footsteps. Naruto was running towards him, eyes wide. Itachi's heart began to thump painfully fast as he reached up for his own headset.

"Maybe next time, little brother."

As Itachi threw the earpiece to the ground he could still hear Sasuke's scream of rage. He didn't care. He was too busy catching Naruto who had thrown himself straight at him, arms going around his waist. Itachi held him close, inhaling his fresh, homey scent for a moment before he pushed Naruto back.

Itachi took Naruto's hand, pulling him back towards the stairs to the roof. He knew he had maybe five minutes before ANBU stormed them, and had planned on the small window of time. All he needed was to get Naruto and him to the roof, onto the next building and into the shop. There, his ride would find them.

Smirking, Itachi pulled Naruto faster.

He would figure out what the catch was later.

* * *

Naruto felt the wind cool his heated face as the motorbike sped down the deserted highway. He felt so free, so relaxed and so happy. He wanted to hold his arms out on either side like a bird, but knew letting go of Haku wasn't the smartest idea.

When the feminine man and his muscled partner had pulled up on their motorbikes the introductions had been quick. Naruto had been shoved onto a motorbike with Haku and then the two new criminals were slipping through the streets, sliding past the cops with ease. Naruto had only been able to laugh as they tore through the city and out into the night, eventually speeding along beside the ocean.

The bike was slowing suddenly and Naruto looked up ahead to see Zabuza and Itachi already parked, talking beside a small jetty. Naruto's eyes drifted to the end of the jetty to see a boat docked, obviously Itachi's 'getaway vehicle'.

After Haku pulled to a stop, Naruto stumbled off the bike and looked over at Itachi. In three steps the man was before him, eyes as unreadable as usual. Naruto stared up at him, his breath making small puffs of fog in the cold air.

"Why did you come?" Itachi asked, his voice a soft whisper. Naruto couldn't look away, even as one of Itachi's hands came up to cup his cheek. "Why did you come with me?"

"We had an agreement," Naruto breathed. "I promised – to the very end."

Itachi was silent as his hand dropped, but Naruto could have sworn he saw something darken in them. Naruto stepped even closer to the tall man, but Itachi held up a hand.

"I'm leaving," he said in an icy voice. "This is the end. Haku will take you wherever you want to go."

Naruto nodded, his eyes falling to the ground. He watched as his own feet shuffled, his hope fading fast. Of course Itachi wasn't taking him with him. He had his clean getaway; he was leaving Konoha and everything about it – including Naruto – behind. Their deal was met; they were done.

"Of course, you can come with me."

Naruto's head shot up so fast he was surprised it didn't crack. He stared at Itachi, unable to understand why the man would want to take Naruto with him. Wouldn't Naruto just be a burden? Or maybe Itachi wanted a hostage in case they had people waiting for him wherever he was going. That could be the only reason he would want Naruto to go with him.

"It's just an offer."

Naruto blinked as Itachi leaned in suddenly, their lips met briefly before he pulled back. Naruto remained frozen as he stared after Itachi, who was walking down the jetty. He was leaving and he wanted Naruto to go with him. Not as a hostage, not as leverage, but as Naruto.

With a yelp Naruto ran after him, his shoes slamming against the jetty loudly. He shouted Itachi's name as he stumbled, almost there. Itachi turned just in time to catch Naruto as the younger man threw himself at him. His arms wound around Itachi's neck as the older man pulled him close. Naruto pulled Itachi down, their lips met eagerly.

It was wet, hot and desperate. Naruto's mouth opened immediately, allowing Itachi to enter. As the warm tongue slid around his mouth Naruto sucked on it eagerly, rubbing his own tongue against it, like an over-affectionate cat. Their bodies were pushed together, Naruto practically trying to push himself into Itachi. Itachi devoured Naruto's mouth, wanting to consume him completely.

Naruto tore free, panting heavily as he leaned his head against Itachi's chest. Itachi held him close for a moment. It was wonderful to hold him, but he needed more. He needed a verbal confirmation.

"I'll go with you," Naruto breathed into Itachi's embrace. "I'll stay with you."

"Good," Itachi murmured. "Come on."

Itachi led Naruto onto the boat, showing him the cabin with its bathroom, kitchen and double bed. He left to start up the boat but Naruto followed, not wanting to be away from him. Itachi didn't say anything as Naruto stood on the deck, waving to Haku and Zabuza on the shore. Only Haku waved back.

The boat began to move, pulling the shore away. Naruto watched as his life vanished along with the beach, his friends, his stupid job – his life. He turned away, feeling very cold all of a sudden.

"Naruto."

At the sound of his name Naruto looked up. Itachi was watching him from the controls, eyes as blank as ever. All at once the heat that had deserted Naruto was back, increased ten fold. He didn't need that; he didn't need any of that. All he needed was Itachi. On an impulse Naruto ran to the man, smiling brightly. Itachi raised an eyebrow and Naruto chuckled, reaching out to pat Itachi's cheek slightly. Itachi's eyes gained an irritated look, but he allowed it anyway.

Naruto leaned to one side as Itachi steered, guiding the boat through the water with ease. He stared up at the stars for a bit before smiling.

"What now?" he asked absently. Itachi looked over at him, but didn't say anything for a moment. He simply took in how beautiful Naruto looked, starlight pouring down on him as a breeze ruffled his hair. Naruto looked stunning.

"Iwa," he murmured, "we're going to Iwa. We'll switch to land at Suna though."

Naruto looked back at him, grinning. His eyes sparkled like sapphires, which reminded Itachi of the ring in his pocket. He reached in, fishing it out before handing it to Naruto without preamble.

Naruto blinked as the large sapphire ring was shoved under his nose. He looked up to Itachi who was looking to the side, obviously shy about the whole thing. Naruto chuckled as he turned the ring in his fingers, smiling slightly. He slid it onto one of his fingers, thinking that he would put it on a necklace later. He looked up at Itachi with another smile before crossing to him. When Itachi looked down at him Naruto pecked his cheek.

"Thank you," he breathed. "It's beautiful."

Naruto crossed to the stairs that led to the deck. The smile on his face grew into a grin as he caught the whisper that he was sure he wasn't supposed to hear.

"Beautiful like you…"

* * *

Ok, the answer is **yes, I am on hiatus. **However, I posted this chapter, the second to last, because I had it done before I made the decision. This story has one more chapter in it, with a lot of twists.

**It is also my 18TH BIRTHDAY today (May 31st) and I would absolutely _love _any gifts in the form of Fanart/fanfic!! Seriously, I live for fanart!!! I don't care how long it takes, I love it!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Pairing: ItaNaru and SasuNaru

Warnings: Slash: male homosexual relationships, violence, adult language, peril, and sexual situations.

**Beta: Kamerreon**

**I would like to note that this chapter was written with a lot of help from my beta. She pretty much wrote all of it, God bless her.**

**And for all you ItaNaruSasu fans, we are working on a story with that pairing... look for it in the near future.**

* * *

**Playing The Hostage**

Chapter Six

* * *

"Fuck!"

Sasuke threw the chair across the room, not caring as it smashed into the wall of Kakashi's office. The young officer continued to rage, throwing everything and anything he could get his hands on. Kakashi remained silent from his post behind his desk, visible eye expressionless as he watched Sasuke.

"It's not so bad, Sasuke," Kakashi murmured. "We have the other five in custody, and we prevented almost everything from vanishing from the safety deposit boxes. Surely whatever else is missing will come up."

"Itachi got away!" Sasuke shouted. "That son a bitch, that family killing bastard!"

"Sasuke, calling him a bastard and a son of a bitch is actually an insult to your family," Kakashi pointed out, ignoring the glare he received in return. "And is this really about Itachi getting away?"

"Yes!" Sasuke roared as he turned and punched the wall with a sickening 'crack'. "What the fuck else would it be about?"

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke whirled to face the man and he was shocked at how serious Kakashi looked. Kakashi stepped forward, resting his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "Is this about Itachi or about Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "Is this about how Itachi escaped with the only person you could ever see yourself loving?"

For the record, Kakashi took the punch very well. He stumbled back until he hit his desk, but his eyes never left Sasuke's. Sasuke was more angry than Kakashi had ever seen him, yet what made the whole thing worse was that it wasn't just his usual explosive rage – it was a combination of that mixed with cool, calm hatred.

"I'll find them," Sasuke whispered. "I'll find them both."

'_Naruto…_'

A sharp knock on the door made Sasuke's head jerk up. He glared at Shikamaru when the man strolled in, but his gaze turned calculating when he saw the serious look on the normally lazy man's face.

"You've got it?" Kakashi asked as he rubbed his stomach.

"Yes, sir. It was a troublesome bit of work, it malfunctioned, but I got the signal," Shikamaru drawled.

"What?" Sasuke demanded.

"Not now, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Where are they headed?"

"They're on a boat, the troublesome brat, and they're headed to Suna by the looks of things," Shikamaru replied.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked desperately. He watched as his two almost-friends glanced at each other and then him. They were keeping something from him. "What in the hell is going on?" he demanded to know.

"He has the clearance," Kakashi whispered.

For the first time he could remember, Sasuke saw Shikamaru with an intense look on his face. The lazy posture was gone, as was the slightly glazed look that always seemed to be on his face. Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome. Come on, we'll fill you in on the way," he muttered.

As he turned and left the room, Sasuke and Kakashi were right behind him. They took the elevator to the roof of the building and entered the waiting helicopter. Out of necessity, they pulled on the headphones that would allow them to talk with each other.

"Explain," Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi nodded once and began speaking, "Naruto is an elite member of the ANBU force. You'll most likely recognize him under the name Kyuubi."

Sasuke's eyes widened, but that was all the surprise he'd allow himself to show.

"He was a plant," Kakashi added. "We've been sending him to the bank every week on the same day to establish a pattern. We got a tip off a few weeks ago that Akatsuki would be planning another robbery like the one they did four years ago."

"You purposefully-"

"Shut up and listen, Uchiha," Shikamaru ordered.

Sasuke glared at him hatefully but complied with the order. He had to remember that as Kyuubi, Naruto would have been fully qualified for such an assignment, even if he hated the thought of that gorgeous blond being anywhere near his brother. "And Itachi?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"We didn't know about his involvement until today," Kakashi assured the hotheaded man.

"Something could have gone wrong!" he snapped.

"That was a chance he was willing to take," Shikamaru whispered.

"Why?" Sasuke hated the thought of the happy blond he'd spent the day conversing with being in danger. Even if the man wasn't exactly what he'd thought, he was still extremely interested in Naruto.

"Kyuubi means 'Demon Fox' or at least that's what Naruto told me one time," Shikamaru said. "It was his older brother's name, and he took it as his ANBU name when he made the force."

Sasuke's face showed the slightest bit of confusion.

"Sasuke, his brother died in that bank robbery four years ago." Kakashi added, "The cops at the time drugged the food so they could enter the building. An unknown person at the time, though we now assume it was this Zetsu, figured out it was drugged. In retaliation, they killed one of the hostages. This was his chance at revenge."

Sasuke knew it would be pointless to ask where they'd gotten all this information. It was obvious really – the only people with access to such files would be ANBU members. Yet, the only way to get out of the ANBU squads was to retire from the force completely or die. So then, why? He blinked slowly as his mind continued to process the information. "I'm being scouted for ANBU." It was more statement than fact, and the lack of a reply told him everything he needed to know.

He turned and glared out the window. Itachi had destroyed his family, and had apparently been part of the group that murdered Naruto's older brother. He only hoped that they would get to Naruto before any damage could be done to him. Not all damage was physical, and he knew that better than most.

When the helicopter finally landed, they got into non-descript cars and headed quickly for the docking area just South of Suna. According to Shikamaru's information, that was where the boat was headed.

The car came to a stop behind an outcropping of rock, and Kakashi exited the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out the long-range rifle and glanced at it thoughtfully before replacing it with a tranquilizer dart rifle. Death was too good for Itachi – the bastard deserved to suffer.

He balanced it on a crag of rock and stared through the scope. "Naruto and Itachi are both on deck. Naruto's at the helm," he said.

Shikamaru seemed to consider the situation for the moment, even though Kakashi was technically in-charge, he was the strategist, and he wasn't going to allow any mistakes to me made. No more chances would be taken with his best friend's life today.

"Take the shot."

There was an almost silent expulsion of air, and the dart sped forward and slammed into Itachi's neck. He smirked in satisfaction as the man crumbled down onto the deck. "Got him." He almost didn't hear Sasuke's cry of triumph.

--

Naruto was steering the boat, and he almost lost control of it when he snapped around at the loud sound of something hitting the deck. He gasped in shock when he realized it was Itachi, and then he began trembling. It was over – it was really over, finally, after all these years.

His teeth sank into his lip, and he left the helm unattended for just a minute to grab some of the rope that was looped up and proceeded to tie Itachi up. When his task was completed, he returned to the helm and guided the boat up to the small dock. He brought it to a stop and cut the motor.

The trembling in his limbs had become worse, and he could barely stand up straight. He grabbed the rope and tossed it over to Kakashi, who was waiting on the dock with Shikamaru and Sasuke.

Naruto sank down and sat on the deck. He pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around his legs. He felt sick, so very sick. It was over, but all the horrible things that had happened throughout the day passed through his mind. Oh God.

He quickly got to his knees and turned around, spewing the pizza he'd had for lunch into the murky waters. He vaguely heard Kakashi ordering some officers to collect Itachi and return him to Konoha to stand trial for his numerous crimes.

He felt soothing hands in his hair and recognized the touch as Shikamaru's. "What happened, Naruto?"

Naruto gasped and wiped his hand across his mouth. He accepted the offered bottle of alcohol – that Kakashi always seemed to have – and cleaned his mouth out, relaxing just the smallest bit as the bitter taste vanished. "He offered me a deal. He'd make sure that the hostages would escape and live, if I made sure he didn't have to split the money with all his associates." He shook slightly and Shikamaru squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "His laptop is down in the cabin. I'm sure you'll be able to get everything returned to its rightful owner."

"How did you have time to make the deal without anyone overhearing?" Sasuke asked suddenly from beside him.

Naruto flinched, and that made the sun shine off the large sapphire on the ring on his finger. "Fuck!" Sasuke cursed. He took Naruto's hand gently and pulled the ring off, handing it over to Shikamaru absently as he fell to his knees on the deck. He cupped Naruto's cheeks tenderly. "What did he do to you?"

Naruto began trembling even worse than before, and Sasuke pulled him forward until he could wrap Naruto securely in his arms. "I – he – he – I, and…" Naruto gulped and fought to keep the bile from rising in his throat. He'd not only let a murderer touch him to save other people, but he'd been forced to pretend he was enjoying it.

Sasuke's arms tightened harshly. "He forced himself on you?" he asked, pain apparent in his voice.

"Not fully," Naruto choked out.

"Bastard! I'll kill him!" Sasuke spat. He glared after the car that had just pulled away with his unconscious brother. The murderer had dared to touch someone he'd claimed as his own.

"It was you."

Sasuke almost didn't hear the quiet whisper. "What?"

"I could only go through with it because of you," Naruto whispered as he burrowed closer to Sasuke.

"What do you-"

"I've seen you before in the office, so I knew it was you I was talking to. I was listening to your voice instead of his in my head. And I kept picturing you. It was the only way I could get through it," Naruto confessed. "I had to imagine it was us, and it was our choice."

Sasuke stared down at Naruto in shock, and then flashes began playing in his mind. Little glimpses of bright, sunshine hair, and the echo of the laugh he'd heard earlier over the phone.

He pressed a gentle kiss to Naruto's forehead and tightened his arms possessively. "You're mine now, dobe. No one else can ever have you!" He locked gazes with Naruto and his black eyes bore into the blue ones seriously. He wasn't joking – this was real. Naruto was his and he was never letting go.

A bright blush suffused Naruto's cheeks, and he broke their staring match. "I never wanted anyone else," he confessed softly.

Sasuke grasped his hair tightly, and yanked his head up. He leaned forward to smash his lips over Naruto's. Somehow, this blond had stolen his heart, and he wasn't going to let the dobe go. Right before his lips would have touched Naruto's, he froze. He recognized the feeling of cold metal against his flesh – it was a knife.

"Foolish otouto," Itachi said coldly.

Sasuke's eyes opened widely in panic and shot to the side. The ropes that had bound Itachi were cut. How the hell had Itachi gotten free? He growled in rage and struggled fiercely, but suddenly stopped moving when the edge of the knife pricked his skin.

"Naruto, get out of here, you have to get out of here," Sasuke whispered desperately.

Itachi chuckled, voice dead, and pulled the supposed tranquilizer dart out of his flesh and dropped it on the deck. "Foolish otouto, always check the body. Never take someone else's word, no matter how much you trust them."

_No, No!_ Sasuke screamed in his mind. This couldn't be happening. Kakashi had betrayed them! Kakashi was working with Itachi. He fought to keep his breathing even, knowing that if he started hyperventilating he'd slit his own throat. _Naruto, he had to get Naruto to freedom. Naruto had to be safe._

_Think Sasuke! Shikamaru! Shikamaru had been with them the whole time; he was Naruto's best friend, he'd be able to save Naruto when he came back on deck after retrieving the computer! Yes! Naruto would be safe!_

Shikamaru walked back onto the deck and stared at the tableau. "So troublesome. Hurry up, Itachi. They'll be sending back up soon."

"How could you?" Sasuke yelled. "You're Naruto's best friend. Itachi killed his brother!"

Shikamaru glared at the kneeling officer, a look of distaste pushing his usual indifference away. "No Uchiha, I said his brother died in the bank four years ago. Itachi wasn't part of the Akatsuki back then."

"Itachi-"

"Was helping me get my revenge on the bastards who killed my brother," Naruto said in conclusion.

Sasuke shivered at the cold tone of voice as he stared into those blue eyes that were suddenly icy – not burning sapphires. Naruto had played him, not once, not twice, but three times today. This wasn't whom he'd fallen in love with. This wasn't the man who'd stolen his heart with a radiant smile and charming personality.

"Naruto?"

"Foolish otouto, I would have let you live. You had been given a chance. I let you live all those years ago, and you've clung to life, but it ends today." Itachi tightened his grip on Sasuke's dark hair and yanked his brother's head back harshly so that their gazes met. "You should have known better than to touch what belongs to me, otouto. I don't share."

Sasuke's limbs were frozen, just as they'd been when he was a child and he'd come home to see his beloved Nii-sama standing over his parents' dead bodies. He couldn't move, couldn't look away as Itachi leaned to the side and clamped his lips over Naruto's, vigorously claiming Naruto as his own.

"You belong to me, Fishcake." Itachi's statement was full of all the possessiveness an Uchiha's voice could hold.

"Yours," Naruto mewled into Itachi's mouth.

That one word, that one sound, was what finally broke Uchiha Sasuke. He cried for the first time since his parents had been murdered. That event had been tragic – it had damaged him. But this, this went beyond tragic. Sasuke was no longer damaged, nor broken, no, now he was completely, utterly, and irrevocably shattered. The last little bit of his heart that remained innocent and untainted was destroyed, and he willingly pressed himself forward, slitting his own throat.

The skin tore, and a bloody parody of a smile appeared on his throat, a mockery of his emotions. His eyes were weeping tears, his neck was weeping blood, and his heart was weeping fragments of a love that his brother had killed. There was nothing left – there could be nothing left.

He vaguely heard Itachi order 'Scarecrow' and 'Deer' to get the car ready so they could make their getaway with the money. This job had been months in the planning, and nothing was going to be allowed to ruin it.

As the true members of Akatsuki, the new Akatsuki, walked away from his dying body, his eyes were locked onto the man he'd foolishly fallen in love with. Naruto was nestled beneath his older brother's shoulder.

Itachi turned back once, and shook his head. "Goodbye, foolish otouto." He tightened his arm around Naruto and headed out to the car that awaited them.

The final tears he would ever shed slid from Sasuke's falling eyelids at the sight. He'd lost everything.

Uchihas were disgustingly possessive, and by Naruto's own admission, he was Itachi's.

**-Owari-**

Ok, this chapter is for ItaNaru Day and Itachi's birthday. But I'm still on Hiatus.

Remember, if you have a problem with my hiatus, you can talk it over with my lovely beta.

* * *


End file.
